Transformation, diversification and evolution will be top keywords at the world’s leading annual conference for oil and gas professionals, the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC), as the industry readies itself for future challenges and opportunities.

ADIPEC is renowned as a global hub for knowledge exchange in the hydrocarbon business, with its landmark technical conference organised by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE). The four-day event brings together more than 10,000 delegates, including industry professionals, thought leaders and experts, to share cutting edge technical advances through 119 highly specialised technical conference sessions.

Alongside these, eight Technical Industry Panel Sessions will also offer fresh insights into some of the big-picture operational challenges that oil and gas professionals face today, and will face in the years ahead. A further six technical sessions, organised by dmg Events, will focus on the downstream sector. These are part of ADIPEC 2017’s expanded scope to include the downstream sector in its programme, such as petroleum processing and refining, for the first time.

“ADIPEC drives the oil and gas agenda, from government ministers and CEOs, through to professionals in a wide range of technical and operational roles,” said Ali Khalifa Al Shamsi, Al Yasat Petroleum CEO and ADIPEC 2017 Chairman. “Technical Industry Panel Sessions give them an opportunity to take a step back and look more broadly at the forces shaping the professional landscape, and gain insights into how they can play a role in navigating a path forward.”

Topics for the eight Technical Industry Panel Sessions include:

The Impact of Unconventional in a Transforming Industry

R&D – The Next Step Change

Capitalising on Data in an Evolving Digital WorldDeveloping and Sustaining In-Country ValueRegional Focus – Africa: Opportunities and ChallengesCollaboration Between Petroleum and Renewable EnergiesAttracting Talent in a Transforming IndustryAsset Integrity as an HSE Essential

The 2017 Technical Industry Panel Sessions offer a roadmap for a rapidly changing professional landscape, where traditional oil and gas must accommodate unconventional resources – such as US shale and the shift to renewable energy – and how the industry’s response will be shaped by emerging technology, greater efficiency, and collaboration between different energy sources.

“There is no doubt that the energy landscape is changing very quickly, but it is important to understand that conventional oil and gas will continue to have a very significant role,” said Ali Khalifa Al Shamsi. “The ADIPEC technical conference panels will help oil and gas professionals understand and respond to changes at an operational level, and create a sustainable industry that will continue to thrive in the long term.”

Panelists taking part in the sessions come from leading organisations, including oil supermajors, national oil companies, and top oilfield services companies, and diverse backgrounds will ensure panels offer a truly global perspective.

Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, hosted by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), and organised by the Global Energy division of dmg events, ADIPEC is one of the world’s leading oil and gas events, and the largest in Africa and the Middle East.

ADIPEC will be held at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre from 13 to 16 November 2017.